Carton



Nov 1'4; 1939. J. A. MOOTER ETAL -7 8 CARTON I Filed March 13, 1939 i I) I v v v INVENTO S.

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ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 14, 1939 CARTON Joseph A. Mooter and Fred Hamlin, Terre Haute; Ind., assignors to The Wabash Fibre Box Company, Teri-e Haute,.lnd., a corporation of Indl-' Application March 13, 1939, Serial No. 261,572

6 Claims.

Our invention relates to containers, and especially to containers particularly adapted for carrying bottles. It is the primary object of our invention to produce a low-priced container which 5 will provide adequate protection for its contents and which will be sturdy and durable in use.

In carrying out our invention, we form the container of corrugated paper' or some equivalent material and reinforce it with a wire frame. The

.0 wire frame has a plane bottom, upon which the weight of the box-contents is carried, a pair of upstanding yokes at opposite ends, and a tie between the upper ends of such yokes. The container is built to receive the reinforcing frame is and has in its end walls finger openings left when tongues formed from the material of the end walls of the container are folded inwardly around transversely extending portions of the yoke on the reinforcing frame.

20 The accompanying drawing illustrates our invention: Fig. l is a perspective view of the complete container; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the reinforcing frame; Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the reinforcing frame provided with a set of dividing partitions; and Fig. 4 is a fragmental vertical section through one end wall of the complete container.

As will be clear from the drawing, the container of corrugated paper or some similar material is formed with a bottom, side walls in, and end walls H. The reinforcing frame illustrated in Fig. 2 fits snugly within the container and is conveniently formed of wire. Desirably, the bottom of the reinforcing frame is formed with a 35 continuous border Hi to which there are secured a series of transversely extending members [6, desirably also of wire and having theirends secured to the border, as by welding. At each end of the bottom there is secured thereto, as by welding, an upstanding yoke 11 conveniently in the form of a wire bent to U-shape.

A short distance below the top of each yoke I! we provide a transverse strut l8 extending between and secured to the parallel legs of the yoke; 45 and between ,the two struts I8 we provide a tie rod iii. In addition, we may provide the reinforcing frame with an auxiliary border member 20 disposed intermediate the height of the yokes i1, secured thereto, and conforming generally to 50 the shape of the bottom of the reinforcing frame.

The end walls of the container are provided with extension flaps 22, which are foldable inwardly of the container over the transverse leg l'l' at the top of each U-shaped yoke H. In addi- 55 tion, each of the end walls II is provided with a finger-opening 23 formed by cutting fromthe material of the end-wall a tongue 24 which is folded inwardly around the associated strut II, as is clear from Fig. 4, such tongue being slotted centrally to clear the tie-rod IS. The inwardly 5 folded extension 22 and tongue 24, are secured to the end wall ll of the box, as bystaples 25.

Desirably, each of the flaps '22 is provided at its ends with extensions 26 which extend downwardly along the inner face of the associated l0 end-wall ll of the box on opposite sides of the finger openings 23 therein, such extensions being secured to the end wall, as by staples. In addition, each of the flaps 22 is provided centrally 'with a narrow notch 21 which extends downwardly nearly to the fold-line separating the end wall II from the flap 22 and which has a purpose to be made apparent hereinafter.

The side walls ID of the container are provided with extension flaps 30, foldable inwardly over the contents of the box. Extending across each of the flaps 30 near the outer edge thereof is a score-line 3! about which the extreme outer edge portion 32 of the flap may be folded to extend downwardly and inwardly of the box when the flaps 39 are closed. At its ends, each edge portion 32 is notched, as indicated at 33, to leave short tongues 34 which, when the flaps 3| are closed, enter the notches 21 in the in-folded flaps 22 and act yieldingly to prevent accidental raising of the flap 30. 1 Each of the flaps 30 may be provided with a finger hole 36 for the purpose of raising it when it is desired to open the box.

When the box is used as a container for bottles, it may be divided into a multiplicity of compartmerits by a set of longitudinal and transverse partition members 31, as indicated in Fig. 3.

The container above described may be simply and economically manufactured. Because the yokes l'l extend for the full height of the container, the container is reinforced against vertical crushing forces, and the bottom frame ll and auxiliary border frame 20 reinforce it against horizontal crushing forces. When the box is lifted, the lifting strain is applied directly "to the cross-struts l8 of the yokes H and transmitted through the yokes to the frame-bottom li -li and thus none of the lifting strain is iinposed upon the container itself. If the container is 59 lifted by one hand so that it occupies a generally vertical position, the lifting effort will be transmitted through the tie rod l3 to the yoke ll at the lower end of the container and thence to the auxiliary border frame 20, and the container itself sustains no appreciable portion of the lifting effort.

We claim as our invention:

1. In combination, a container having a bottom, side walls, and end walls, and a reinforcing frame within said container, said frame having a bottom portion conforming in size and shape to 4 the container, a yoke secured to each end of said reinforcing frame and extending upwardly therefrom along the inner surface of the adjacent end wall for substantially the entire height thereof, said yoke having a cross-piece intermediate its height, eachof said end walls being provided with a cut-out tongue folded inwardly and upwardly around the cross-piece of the associated yoke and secured to the body of the end wall above said cross piece, each end wall of the box having an extension folded inwardly and downwardly over the top of the associated yoke and secured to the body of the end wall.

-2. In combination, a container having a bottom, side walls, and end walls, and a reinforcing frame within said container, said frame having a bottom portion conforming in size and shape to the container, a yoke secured to each end of said reinforcing frame and extending upwardly therefrom along the inner surface of the adjacent end wall for substantially the entire height thereof, said yoke having a cross-piece intermediate its height, each of said end walls being provided with a cut-out tongue folded inwardly and upwardly around the cross-piece of the associated yoke and secured to the body of the end wall above said cross piece.

3. In combination, a container having a bottom, side walls, and end walls, and a reinforcing frame within said container, said frame having a bottom portion conforming in size and shape to the container, a yoke secured to each end of said reinforcing frame and extending upwardly therefrom along the inner surface of the adjacent end wall, said yoke having a cross-piece, each of said end walls being provided with a cut-out tongue folded inwardly and upwardly around the cross-piece of the associated yoke and secured to the body of the end wall above said cross piece.

4. The invention set forth in claim 3 with the addition of a tie-rod extending between and secured to the cross-pieceson said yokes.

5. The invention set forth in claim 3 with the addition of an auxiliary border member, said member being secured to said yokes and extending around the interior of the box in a plane above the frame-bottom.

6. The invention set forth in claim 3 with the addition that the bottom portion of said frame and said yokes are formed of wire and welded together.

JOSEPH A. MOOTER. FRED HAMLIN. 

